


Familiar Faces in Unexpected Places

by shenala



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Steve and Bucky are friends with her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-01 13:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shenala/pseuds/shenala
Summary: Sophie lives isolated from everyone and is safe in her solitude, until one night the outside world comes crashing into hers.Steve recognises her, but why? Who is she and why is she alone?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this might become something, it might not, it's just an idea that's been in my head that I decided to write down.

It started like almost any other night; the air was cool and crisp, the sky was clear with the stars shining brightly and the only sounds were the rustling of the trees, the occasional hoot from an owl and the logs crackling in the fire.

Sitting in the chair closest to the hearth, she had her knees wrapped under a thick, slightly scratchy, woollen blanket and cradled a cup of steaming tea in one hand and a dog-eared paperback book in the other.

This had been her home, her haven, her safe place for years and she rarely ventured too far away. Fruit and vegetables she grew herself, milk came from the handful of goats she kept and anything else was easily purchased from the kind couple who ran a small store from their farm a mile or so away. 

But while this evening started like so many that had come before, that sense of peace was about to be shattered.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
She'd just turned the page of her book and after noticing it was the start of a new chapter made the decision to get up to make another cup of tea and cut a slice of the cake she'd baked earlier that day. 

With the bookmark securely in place, she made her way into the kitchen and set the kettle to boil. Just as it was reaching its peak the sound of distant rumbling reached her ears. The sound didn't go unnoticed by her dog either, as Benji, an Australian sheepdog she'd rescued, pricked up his ears and moved from his bed to come and stand by her.

Reaching down to rub his head, she wondered aloud, "What's that Benj?".

No sooner had the question left her lips than the noise that had begun as a gentle rumble became an outright roar. Turning towards the window behind her she jumped back in fright as the easily identifiable shape of a small aircraft grew larger as the distance between it and them decreased rapidly.

Even from inside she could see smoke pluming from the plane, rising up into the night sky in tight tendrils as lights flashed on the underbelly. 

Certain it was about to hit her home and yet unable to move she watched wide-eyed in horror as it got closer and closer, before squeezing her eyes shut as it skimmed over the top of her roof, only to then jump once more as a loud thud came from the field at the back of the property. 

Without pausing to think through her next actions, she grabbed her coat from the hook and shoved her feet into the boots by the door before running outside into the cold air to where the plane had evidently crash landed. 

Thankful to see it mostly intact and not on fire, despite the smoke still escaping from underneath it, she made her way closer, only to retreat back a few steps as the rear of the aircraft folded down, with a harsh creak of protest, to form a ramp. Standing in the illuminated space it left behind was a tall figure who stumbled forward before crashing to the floor. 

A few breaths passed without sound or movement and she decided to step forward once again. She could now see that it was a man in a blue uniform that had fallen and peering into the plane behind him she thought she could see around 8 more unmoving bodies. Something deep within her kicked into action and she began the slow process of removing each person from the craft before then carrying them (something she knew she should not have been physically capable of doing and yet achieved with ease) into her home and laying them on every available surface, hoping that they would regain consciousness but not until she was ready. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Some of them had visible injuries and with only a small, basic first aid kit at her disposal she patched them up the best she could; cleaning and covering open cuts and wounds, applying butterfly strips to some of the deeper gashes, and wrapping any limbs or fingers that looked as though they might need further attention. 

It was only a few moments after she'd sat back from applying a final strip of a bandage to the leg of a redheaded woman that the first signs of them starting to come around began. First came the grumbles and groans, followed by the twitching of fingers and toes and the stretching of arms and legs, and then eyes drifted open, one by one as though they were all waking up from a magical spell in a fairy-tale. 

Retreating to the corner furthest away she stood and waited as the group sat up and took in their surroundings.

It was the man in the blue uniform who noticed her first, "Who are you?" came the rough question, only to be immediately followed by another from a goateed man to his left "Where are we?".   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Her nerves obvious to all thanks to the constant wringing of her hands she cleared her throat before attempting to answer. "This is my home. Um - I don't know exactly whe-".

Before she could continue further the redheaded woman she'd bandaged earlier cut in, "you don't know where you live? How is that possible?"

Shrinking under their critical gaze she realised she'd never given much thought to where she was, just that she was safe. "I'm sorry, I don't... I can't... um- it's safe here." 

As they continued to stare at her, obviously trying to figure out who she was and more importantly, where they were, a sandy-haired man stood up from the sofa, declaring "I'll see what state the jet's in," before turning to her and asking "where did we land?" 

"Oh, just round the back, I can show you.." only to be cut off with a wave of his hand as he assured her he'd be able to find his way. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Turning her attention back to the rest of the group, the second man who'd questioned her earlier now moved to sit at her kitchen table as he brought her back under his scrutiny. "So, you don't know where here is?" at the shake of her head he continued, "ok, well I'm Tony, who are you?"

Finally, a question she could answer with certainty "I'm Sophie" she replied, adding in a nervous wave and then immediately mentally scolding herself for it. 

The answer and the movement had caught the attention of the man in blue as he leaned forward in his chair, a frown etched across his face, "Sophie?" he repeated. Something about his questioning her answer caused the man called Tony to turn to him in concern, "what's up, Cap? You look like you've seen a ghost. Again."

Shaking his head in confusion "Cap" looked at her again, "No, I just- you seem familiar, but also not." Shaking his head as if to clear it, he apologised, "sorry." 

Before she could respond or further questions could be asked the silence was once again split open by the roar of engines as the jet apparently powered back up. Tapping his ear, Tony spoke "All ok Barton?" and after apparently receiving a positive response, "how long til we're up? ok". 

Addressing the rest of the group he updated them on the conversation "Barton says we should be good to go in 5, whatever brought us down looks like it's cleared out of the system, he's just rebooting." Everyone visibly relaxed at the news, well everyone except Sophie who tensed even further than she thought possible as he turned to her and with a wiggle of his index finger said: "and I think you should be coming with us." 

Again she was stopped before she could even formulate a reply as the sound of multiple vehicles approaching caused them all to turn and look out of the window at the headlights making their way through the trees. 

"Scrap that" all eyes moved back to Tony as he spoke, while his own were focussed solely on her, "you're definitely coming with us."

"What- no, I'm fine here... I can't.." came Sophie's stuttered reply, which was combatted with "you don't know where you are, but apparently Hydra do and that means..." Tony trailed off as he saw her reaction to the name; she began visibly shaking and had screwed up her eyes while her jaw was set firm, teeth gritted. 

After receiving the all-clear from Barton, Tony nodded to the rest of the team who quickly made their way out the back towards the jet, before gesturing to her and asking "Cap, do you mind?"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wrenching her eyes open as she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, she raised them to meet depths of ocean blue looking back at her. "Sorry about this", he uttered quietly before swinging her up over his shoulder and following Tony out into the night to join the others. 

He had expected resistance but instead, she merely sighed and whispered so quietly he had to strain to hear her, "please don't let them get me."

When they were just meters from the ramp, loud shouts came from behind them as men poured from the trucks that had caused the rushed exit.

Breaking into an easy run, he closed the distance almost instantly and as the ramp closed up behind him, he almost uttered a sigh of relief but was cut off by the whizzing of a bullet that he registered a split second too late as it slammed into the woman he still held over his shoulder, causing her to scream out in agony as blood poured from the wound in her upper arm. 

With the ramp now locked the jet quickly rose from the ground and began it's departure, while he lay her gently to the floor, keeping one of her hands held in his as he reassured her in a firm but gentle tone "You're going to be fine". He would've said more but with a small squeeze of her fingers, she slipped out of consciousness.

Moved out of the way by Bruce, he seated himself close by as the Doctor checked her wound and her pulse before hooking her up to the monitoring devices. "Don't worry Steve, she'll be fine, it's not a bad hit and her pulse is strong. It looks like she's just fainted."

Leaning back in his seat, Steve nodded his understanding before closing his eyes and desperately tried to pinpoint why she seemed so familiar.


	2. Chapter 2

_The sun was shining brightly through the window above the sink as Steve washed up the dishes from breakfast while Bucky laced up his boots ready to head to work._

_Looking down into the street below, he saw their neighbour, Sophie, step outside with her tabby cat cradled in her arms. A smile crept onto his face as he watched her place the cat on the ground and gently shoo it away so it could go exploring for the day. It was a nice cat, mused Steve, it had come and sat with him a few times when he was drawing outside and always seemed to like having its ears rubbed._

_"What ya smiling at punk?" Bucky asked as he stepped up behind Steve, wrapping an arm around the smaller man's shoulders. Pointing to the street, Steve replied with a chuckle, "Sophie's trying to convince the cat to go for a walk. Think he'd rather stay inside with her."_

_Shaking his head while smiling, Bucky stepped away to retrieve his jacket before heading towards the door, "well maybe when we get that cat you keep going on about, they can be friends hey Stevie?" and with a cheeky wink he was off to work for the day, leaving Steve to settle down at his desk and daydream about that future._

_He wasn't left to fantasize in peace for long though, as about 5 minutes after Bucky had left, there came a knock on the door. Not expecting any visitors, Steve was surprised when he opened it to find the woman he'd been watching only minutes earlier, smiling back at him._

_Pressing a warm, covered, dish into his hands, Sophie greeted him, "Good morning Steve, looks like I just missed James. Anyway, here. I made the pair of you a spare casserole. Just drop the dish back when you're done. I've gotta run, sorry Steve, see ya later!"_

_And as quickly as she'd arrived, she was gone, running off down the street, her long skirt swirling behind her._

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve woke with a start at the gentle shaking of his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of Bruce, "what? Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep" he mumbled, rubbing a hand down his tired face.

Giving him what they'd all termed his "Kind Doctor Smile", Bruce shook his head and said, "You needed the rest. Just thought you'd like to know we'll be home in 10."

"Thanks, Bruce", Steve yawned, "how is she?"

"She's sleeping, she came round shortly after you dropped off, but I had to give her some pretty strong painkillers. She'll be fine once we get her stitched up." Bruce reassured him with a nod of his head towards the woman lay on the opposite side of the Quinjet. "You seemed.. disturbed, back in the cabin, particularly when she told us her name."

"Goddamn" came the choked curse from Steve, quickly followed by a snarky "Language" from Tony at the front of the jet.

Ignoring the joke at his expense, Steve leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as what he'd remembered during his unplanned nap came back to him.

"I knew her." 

Three little words that immediately drew the attention of everyone onboard as all eyes turned to him, before Tony was the first to speak, "You gonna give us more than that Cap? Did you meet her at S.H.I.E.L.D or...?" he trailed off.

Heaving a deep sigh that almost made him sound all of his 100 years of age, Steve shook his head. "No. I knew her.. before. She lived near us, me and Buck, in Brooklyn." He paused, before adding "she had a cat."

This time it was Sam that spoke up, "Wait, how is that possible? You and metal man have pretty crazy stories, but how would she still be alive?" 

"I have no idea" came the short reply from Steve as he pulled his phone from his pocket and started to write a new message to Bucky.

>>Steve: We'll be landing in 5. Brace yourself, Buck, I'm bringing a surprise home.  
>>Bucky: I'm only interested if it's chocolate cake.  
>>Steve: It's not. But it's going to take some figuring out.   
>>Bucky: Ok... I'll meet you when you guys land.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
And sure enough, as the ramp descended from the back of the jet, Bucky was standing there waiting for them. 

He hadn't been happy about sitting out the mission but after taking a particularly hard hit to the head only a couple of days earlier it'd been agreed it was probably best for him to rest.. apparently even Super Soldiers can get a concussion.

As Steve walked towards him, Bucky opened his arms for him to step into and wrapped him into a strong, warm embrace before pulling back to look into his eyes, blue meeting blue. "Ok, so where's my surprise punk?" 

Unable to answer, Steve turned and gestured behind him to where Bruce and Sam were manoeuvring a stretcher out of the jet. 

A frown creasing his brow, Bucky started to make his way towards them, "Stevie, who's that?" but before Steve could reply he'd reached the laid out figure and as recognition hit deep in the back of his memory he let out a startled gasp before turning back to Steve, "I know her.. but I don't know.. who.. Steve?"

Laying a reassuring hand on Bucky's arm, Steve turned him to walk them both back inside. "It's ok Buck, it took a while for it to come to me too," he gently guaranteed him, "remember the girl with the cat from Brooklyn? She cooked for us sometimes. Sophie?" 

It was visible on Bucky's face as the memories resurfaced, a crooked smile creeping across his mouth, "Yeah, she always refused to dance with me. Said I'd step on her toes. Me!" he scoffed shaking his head, "good thing she made good dumplings or I'd have stopped asking." 

Steve was now also smiling, but it faded slightly as he spoke, "That's her. I don't know how, or why. But Hydra hit the jet and somehow we landed right in her backyard. She didn't recognise me." 

Nudging Steve with his elbow, Bucky teased, "well that's not surprising is it Stevie? You were smaller than her last time you saw her" but his own smile then dropped as he continued, "but if it really is her, something ain't right." 

Sighing, Steve leant forward to rest his forehead against Bucky's "you're right there Buck."

And as they watched the stretcher carrying Sophie enter the elevator before the doors closed to begin the short journey to the medical lab, foreheads pressed together and arms loosely wrapped around each other's waist, the two soldiers knew that this was unlikely to be a pleasant thread to unravel.


	3. Chapter 3

While Bruce was treating Sophie in the med lab everyone else went back to their rooms to clean up and get changed before heading to the kitchen for food.

As the elevator opened and Bruce stepped out all eyes turned to him as everyone waited for an update on their visitor.

Taking off his glasses, Bruce sat down at the counter and after thanking Nat for the cup of coffee she placed in front of him, he began, "Right now she's still under sedation but I expect that to wear off in a couple of hours and then she should wake up by herself not long after. The bullet went straight through and caused minimal damage so it was going to be a relatively simple procedure anyway..."

Before he could continue, Tony cut him off, "wait 'was going to be'? Why wasn't it?" Clearly, the others hadn't picked up on Bruce's choice of words and they all tensed as they waited to hear his explanation.

This time Bruce focussed directly on Steve and Bucky as he spoke, "She was already healing. By the time I started almost all of the internal damage had fixed itself. When I left, the wound had closed and looked like it was days old, not hours." Pausing to let them absorb what he'd said so far he continued, "Sophie healed in a way I have only seen on two other people, you."

At this Bucky let a choked gasp and as Steve pulled him close with a strong arm around his shoulders he let out his own resigned sigh, "So you're saying she's been given serum? Like us?" 

"I can't say for certain what she's been given until the blood work is complete" Bruce replied. "But yes, she's been given something that, at least in terms of healing, acts very similarly to the serums administered to both of you. I can't tell you the what, the how or the why. Hopefully, she'll be able to."

Shaking his head Tony stood from his seat, already tapping away on his tablet "No, we can get at least some of the work done while she's out. Friday, pull up the mission file."

On the large screen in the common area the file that detailed the mission they had been on when they'd crashed into Sophie's life appeared. It was sparse in information and was just a small remnant of the files they'd dredged from SHIELD, but it indicated there was an "item of interest" in the area and so they had gone to investigate. Unbeknownst to them, there was still an active Hydra base nearby that had somehow not only tracked the QuinJet but also brought it down. 

Turning back to the team Tony gestured at the screen, "What if the item of interest is actually a person? What if it was Sophie?". Frowning, Steve replied, "But why would she be of interest, she was just a woman living in the middle of nowhere, completely isolated." 

His query had been directed at Tony but it was Natasha that responded, "She should be 100 years old. Her healing shows the presence of something similar to your serum and she was living near a Hydra base. We all saw her reaction when Tony mentioned their name. What if Bucky wasn't the only prisoner they took?"

At this Bucky fervently shook his head, "No she wasn't involved in the war, she lived on her own with a cat and worked at the library. There's no way Hydra would even know she existed and what value would she have?" Despite his words, his eyes were filled with panic as he looked at Steve.

Tony spoke to Friday again, this time directing her to a different source, "Friday, go through everything we have from Hydra and SHIELD to see if there's anything on a woman from Brooklyn, name Sophie--" here he paused, unsure of her last name he turned back to Steve and Bucky and it was the latter that filled in the blanks "Sophie Peters", before adding "her birthday's the same as Stevie."

Friday acknowledged the information and added she would let them know once her search was complete.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was only a matter of minutes later when Friday spoke again but to the people scattered around the common area, it seemed much longer. "Boss, I have found something."

Springing out of his chair, Tony stood in front of the screen once more "Ok Friday pull it up" and as information appeared in front of him added, "what are we looking at?" 

"Sophie Peters, born 4th July 1918 in Brooklyn, New York to Irish parents, Mary and Seamus." Friday began before Sam interrupted, "She's like a female Steve!"

Steve waved him off with a roll of his eyes, "Yeah alright, she was always a lot healthier than me, taller too. What else Friday?"

The AI continued, "As Sergeant Barnes already mentioned she lived alone and worked in the local library, she also volunteered at the Babies Hospital in Manhattan. She had no surviving family at the time both Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes left for the war, both parents had died from complications with pneumonia." 

This seemed to stir something in Bucky, perhaps memories of how many times he had nursed a sickly Steve, and he hugged him closer and rested his head against the blonde man's shoulder as Friday continued to divulge the information she had found.

"According to a Hydra file, a woman matching the description of Ms Peters was _retrieved_ by agents who were conducting a reconnaissance trip to the residence of Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes after neither returned from the war in 1945." As Steve and Bucky looked at each wide-eyed with shock, Friday allowed a short pause before proceeding. 

"It appears that Ms Peters was home at the time of the Hydra visit and attempted to prevent the intrusion into the property. It is not explicitly stated in the files but it can be assumed at some point during this interaction her friendship with both men was revealed and the operatives decided to take her with them." 

As Friday fell silent, Tony spoke up "Ok, so we know how Hydra got her. Friday anything on why?"

This time the AI sighed, almost sounding sad as the reply came "Yes boss. The files state that it was hoped she could become something of a reset button for the Winter Soldier. There was a theory that Sergeant Barnes' past familiarity with Ms Peters could be used to put him into a different mindset, he would effectively become a sleeper agent. Still the Winter Soldier but functioning autonomously until called upon."

At this Bucky's panic hit like a freight train and it was only Steve's firm hold that kept him seated. Before he could voice his fears, Friday added in a kind tone "It is also clearly recorded that she was never used for this purpose and that no interaction between Ms Peters and Sergeant Barnes occurred during his incarceration."

Steve pulled Bucky close to his chest and as he pressed gentle kisses to his forehead whispered quiet reassurances "you're you, Buck, you're home, you're with me and your mind is your own. If you want to ring Shuri for reassurance we can."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After everyone took a much-needed breather and Bucky regained his calm, Bruce stepped up with the question this time. "We know how, we know why. Friday does anything mention any treatments given to Sophie? Any trials or experiments?"

Again Friday sounded regretful at being the bearer of bad news, "Yes Doctor Banner. After Ms Peters arrived at Hydra she was held in cryo, much like Sergeant Barnes, but in the early 70s during a routine medical examination, she was injured. I have no further information on that incident. The notes indicate that she was given an injection marked only as RB45. There are some medical notes attached detailing how she responded and the results, I have forwarded these to you, Doctor Banner. Ms Peters healed fully and was placed back into cryo. The notes only hold one more thing, a short note with a date of 3 years ago; 'subject escaped'. I have no further information."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As Bruce retook his seat, Tony turned to Steve and Bucky, "so we know Hydra took her because she was trying to stop them breaking into your house, which is friend goals by the way" pausing he turned to Peter "did I say that right?" and after receiving a nod of approval he continued. "They wanted to use her to turn Barnes into a sleeper but didn't and that when she was injured somehow they gave her something that we can assume is related to the serums both of you strapping gentlemen received. Then after 40 more years of being an icicle, again like you two, she somehow escaped to a house that while isolated was also dangerously close to a Hydra base we didn't even know existed until we flew over it earlier." 

With a nod from the recliner, Clint added a simple "That about sums it up."

"I'm not finished" Tony carried on, "After we flew over said Hydra hangout and they somehow made us crash-land into a field, we all magically went from plane to house and woke up to find this mystery woman had patched us all up. Then Hydra arrived, she froze, they shot her and now she's zonked out in the med bay." After a pause where everyone looked at him as if expecting more, he ended "ok now I'm finished."

Before anyone else could say anything Friday's voice echoed through the room "Boss, Ms Peters' sedation appears to have worn off and she is in the process of waking up. It might be advisable for her to have some supervision as she does."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When Friday had said "some supervision" it's unlikely that the AI had meant everyone but that's what happened as they all headed down to the lab and stood outside the glass partition looking in at the woman lying on the bed hooked up to various monitors. 

As Tony stepped forward to open the door, there was a sharp crack as the electricity cut out. The darkness only lasted a split second before the backup power cut in, but when they were able to see again Sophie was sitting up in the bed staring at them before she uttered a quiet but firm question "where am I?"


	4. Chapter 4

_As Tony stepped forward to open the door, there was a sharp crack as the electricity cut out. The darkness only lasted a split second before the backup power cut in, but when they were able to see again Sophie was sitting up in the bed staring at them before she uttered a quiet but firm question "where am I?"_

After her query was met with silence, Sophie raised her head to make eye contact with the group stood just outside the now open door before repeating herself, this time with an audible shake to her voice, "where am I? Why am I attached to these things?"

It was Bruce that stepped forward, ever the calm reassuring doctor, "Sophie, my name is Doctor Banner, you can call me Bruce. You were injured, the team brought you back here for treatment. The monitors were just to keep a check on you, make sure everything was ok."

While Bruce had been speaking, Tony had also stepped into the room and he answered the first question Sophie had asked, "and for where you are, this is the med lab of Stark Tower. It's our home and headquarters, safest place on Earth" he proudly proclaimed.

"Whose headquarters?" Sophie requested, "Who are you? Wait... you nearly crashed a plane into my house!"

Cringing slightly Tony rubbed the back of his neck before giving her a bashful smile, "yeah, sorry about that, wasn't part of the plan, and we're the Avengers. We, er..." Before Tony could finish, Clint cut in, "avenge!" before peering around the group to wave at Sophie "Hi, I'm Clint, or Hawkeye or Greatest Avenger, your choice."

Sophie gave a small, confused wave in response as Tony gave a resigned sigh, "I was going for defend the Earth but sure, avenge matches the name" he replied with a tone full of snark.

Leaning back on the pillows of the bed, Sophie closed her eyes with a deep exhale "I'm sorry, I don't understand." 

Before Tony could answer, Bruce reassured her softly "That's ok, there's plenty of time to explain. Now I just want to check a few things and then you can either rest some more or join us for food." After Sophie nodded her agreement, Bruce turned to the rest of the team "Why don't you all get dinner started, we'll be up soon". 

There were some disgruntled noises and murmurs at the obvious dismissal but everyone moved away to head back to the common room, with Tony being the last to leave after a parting comment "I know this seems crazy, and it'll probably get worse before it gets better, but you're safe here. Just needed you to know that."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the ding of the elevator, everyone froze in their respective positions; Sam at the stove, Steve laying out plates, Bucky adding the cutlery, Wanda and Nat at the counter chopping vegetables and everyone else moving around to gather everything needed for their group meal. 

Out of the elevator stepped Bruce, with Sophie a couple of paces behind. Dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and leggings she looked even smaller than she had before and as she kept her gaze firmly on her feet her nerves were clear to see.

Laying down the last of the plates, Steve stepped towards her and pulled out a chair at the table, "Here, you can sit next to me Sophie." He was unable to contain his surprise when she whispered a gentle and apparently unintentional "Thank you Steve" in response and was glad that she had kept her gaze low and missed his expression. 

Uncharacteristically for the Avengers, the meal was eaten in near silence, with the only sound coming from the clink and scrape of cutlery on plates or glasses being lifted.

When everyone had finished eating and the plates had been cleared away, Steve suggested that they all move to the sofas and at the prospect of discussing what had happened Sophie felt her heart-rate increase as nervousness jolted through her body. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Finding herself seated on a comfortable red armchair, she realised it placed her in the direct sight of everyone else in the room and sighed knowing it was clearly a deliberate choice.

She pretended to not see the glances exchanged and whispered, hurried words between Steve and Tony, torn between wanting it to be over with and not wanting it to begin in the first place.

With a loud sigh, Steve leant forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied her through ocean blue eyes that seemed to knock on a door somewhere deep in her mind. 

"Sophie" he began in a firm, gentle tone, "do you know me? Not from today, not from your home, but before?"

Stammering slightly as she fought to get her thoughts in order, Sophie wrangled with herself to keep eye contact, "I- I don't know. There's something, but I can't... it's there but it's not. I know that sounds crazy" she ended, dropping her gaze to where she was wringing her hands in her lap. 

Her head jolted back up when another voice filled the room, "How about me? Sophie do you know me, Bucky?" While Steve's eyes had been a quiet knock, when she locked her gaze with that of the brunette man his own steel blue orbs set off a resounding thud that brought a gasp from her lips. 

The silence stretched between them as she continued to stare at him and he held firm under her scrutiny as she wracked her brain, desperately trying to grab onto something solid that explained the link she felt to him. 

Just as she was about to give in and admit defeat, there it was and she clung onto the mental thread tightly, terrified it might snap or disappear and without even making a conscious decision to do so she uttered one word, sounding completely lost as she did so, "James?"

The blinding smile that greeted her was one she wasn't prepared for and it almost knocked her off course before Sophie turned back to the first man who had spoken to her and again spoke just one word, still sounding amazed at her ability to do so, "Steve?"

As a smile just as bright as Bucky's spread across his face, Sophie clasped her hands over her mouth as her eyes shone with unshed tears. "I don't understand. I know you, but I don't know how." Bringing Steve under her scrutiny this time, she added "And I know your eyes but I think you were smaller" with the gentle tease audible in her voice despite the nervous tremor. It had evidently been the right thing to say Sophie realised as everyone laughed, none more so than the two men she had identified and as they exchanged a look between them full of adoration and love; Sophie felt another gentle tug somewhere in her mind and she nodded to herself with the mental observation "that's right, they were meant to be together."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
But the laughter quickly died down and it was back to business as Tony moved to a seat closer to her. "It's good that you know that you know them. It means your memories are still there, we just need to unlock them. But first, we need to know: what else do you remember? How did you get to the house we found you in?"

There it was, the question Sophie had been dreading giving the answer to. But she knew that not answering it was no longer an option, and besides she knew two of them, and even if she didn't know how that meant she could trust them right?

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Sophie briefly glanced at Tony and after he gave her a reassuring nod paired with a small smile, she steeled herself and began. 

"I get flashbacks sometimes, to people and places I don't remember but that feel familiar. But there's a lot of.. blank space I guess is a good way of describing it. I don't know how any of it links together. My first clear memory is waking up in a room without windows and hearing people shouting about a fire. I could smell the smoke and feel the temperature increasing so I banged on the door and screamed for someone to help me, but no-one came." 

Sophie paused for another deep breath before continuing, "I remember feeling as though I was going to faint out of panic or suffocate from the smoke, but then the door was open and I was holding the handle in my hand. I don't know where I was or how I got out, I just remember running through burning corridors until I wasn't inside anymore and then I kept running. I don't remember finding the house or how I came to stay there, it just happened. I don't even know how long I was there after the fire, one day just sort of bled into the next."

After a moments silence followed her finishing Sophie again looked at Tony, who nodded as he understood that was all she could tell them. "Okay, so we can fill in some of the blanks for you, but I don't want to overwhelm you so we can either do that now or later. It's up to you." 

Sophie didn't hesitate with her response, shaking her head furiously, "No, I need to know. Now please." 

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After what felt like hours of explanations from Tony, Bruce, Steve and Bucky, Sophie finally sat back fully in her seat and let the tension she'd been holding in every inch of her body relax with a sigh before she let loose a small chuckle. 

Sensing everyone's eyes on her she opened her own to explain, "It makes no sense, and yet it does. Every little girl wants a fairytale but this isn't quite what I had in mind." 

The rest of the group had been silent through the conversation but Wanda now spoke up, "Sophie, I'm Wanda" she began with a smile, "I can try to help you remember if you'd like? If your memories are still there, then like Tony said, we just need to unlock them." 

Without even realising she was doing so, Sophie looked to Steve and Bucky for reassurance and when they both nodded she turned back to Wanda and responded with a simple "how?"

It was Tony that answered, "Wanda is our little mind-reader, I mean, it's a little bit more complicated than that but that's the easy version."

Giving him a nod of her own, Sophie asked Wanda "is it safe?" but keeping the trend of everyone answering questions not meant for them it was Bucky that spoke this time "Yes doll. I'm not mad about people going near my brain" he paused to share a grimace with Sophie as her thoughts went back to what they had told her about his own time with Hydra, "but Wanda won't hurt you, she'll stop if you tell her and we'll all be here if you need us."

Tony added, "Tinman is right, we didn't get off to the best start but you can trust her." He too paused mid-thought before continuing with a quick glance at Bucky, "She, er, helped me come to terms with a few things in the past. Your mind should be your own and if you say no, then we respect that here. All about the free will" he ended with a crooked grin before again looking to Bucky and giving the other man a quick nod which was returned with a small, but grateful smile.

Sophie smiled at Wanda with a nod of her own, "Okay, thank you. But is it ok if we start tomorrow? I'm a little tired and I'd like to know more about the serum Doctor Banner mentioned.."

Bruce cut in, "Call me Bruce, Sophie, and we can talk about that in the morning as well, you need your rest."

After Sophie agreed with a well-timed yawn, Tony stood and offered a hand to pull her up. "Come on, I'll show you to your room. It's next to the grandpas so if you decide to have a 40s revival please keep the noise down" he joked with a wink back at Steve and Bucky who shook their heads in amusement. 

"Ok. Um, goodnight everyone. And thank you" Sophie mumbled shyly, but smiled when everyone wished her goodnight in response. She went to turn to follow Tony to the elevator but stopped and turned back to the sofa where Steve and Bucky were sitting, "Goodnight Steve, James. It's good to see you again, and together" she added with a final smile before walking away.


	5. Chapter 5

The elevator ride passed quickly and quietly, and before Sophie had much time to think she was stepping out behind Tony as he led her to one of two doors. "This is you, you'll have the entire East side of this floor, the other side is home to the Icemen."

Stuck between a frown and a smile, Sophie queried "Icemen?", with Tony explaining with a short laugh "well we already had Capsicle but Barnes was harder to.. 'frostify', so icemen. What d'you think?". The frown of confusion now gone, Sophie nodded with a grin "it's perfect. And, Tony, thank you for letting me stay here tonight" she added before dropping her chin to hide her embarrassment. 

It snapped back up only moments later though, when Tony lay a gentle hand on her shoulder "it's not just tonight, you can stay as long as you like", he paused before continuing with what Sophie already recognised as his trademark smirk, "besides I'm not sure those two" he nodded at the door opposite "will be letting you go any time soon."

Not waiting for a reply, Tony opened the door to her room and stepped aside so Sophie could enter ahead of him. As soon as she did lights flickered on and she was unable to contain the gasp of surprise as her new living quarters lit up in front of her. She had expected a simple room with a bed to sleep in and instead she was now faced with a cosy living room that housed floor to ceiling windows looking out over the city, a small kitchen area and two doors that she assumed led to a bedroom and bathroom, something Tony confirmed seconds later as he pointed out the different areas with a casual wave of his hands.

As her eyes filled with tears Sophie found herself suddenly exhausted from the unexpected generosity and kindness, the shock of hearing the events of the past 70 years explained to her and the surprise of being reunited with Bucky and Steve. Turning back to the brunette man it was Sophie that reached out this time, "Thank you Tony" she breathed, desperately trying to convey all her emotions in just a few simple words. 

Evidently, she succeeded as she saw just a hint of moisture creep into his own eyes as he cleared his throat and dropped his gaze. "No thanks necessary" he assured her with a quick grin that didn't quite fit, "any friend of Steve's is welcome." 

It surprised Tony when she so clearly saw what he had left unspoken as she asked, "What about James?" and he wasn't sure what he was more taken aback by; the question or the firm set of her jaw as she asked it.

Releasing a tired sigh Tony turned to the door to signal he was going to leave but answered her as he did so, his eyes as tight as his voice "I think I'll let Rogers and Barnes explain that one... but" he heaved another sigh "he belongs here, with Steve, and every day is easier."

With that he forced himself to brighten as he shot a final smile her way "That's enough chitchat. You need to sleep" emphasizing his words with a wiggle of his index finger before softening, "Go on, relax. We'll all still be here in the morning. Goodnight Sophie."

And with that he was gone, clicking the door quietly shut behind him before leaning back on it and taking a deep breath as he tried to reign in the emotions coursing through him. After a few moments, he pushed himself straight and returned to the elevator.

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Sophie stood unmoving even after she heard the soft whoosh of the elevator doors closing before finally shaking herself out of it as she looked around the space. After making a quick decision she first grabbed herself a glass of water before heading to the bathroom.

She hadn't planned on taking a shower, after all, she'd had one in the med lab before Bruce had taken her upstairs, but the idea of standing under hot, steamy water was calling out to her irresistibly. 

Finding everything she needed already in place, Sophie took her time showering, relishing the feel of the water hitting her skin as she breathed in the soft scent of the body wash, before taking just as much simple enjoyment from the feel of the soft fluffy towel wrapped around her body when she stepped out. 

After quickly brushing her teeth and tying back her hair, Sophie headed into the bedroom and began opening drawers to hunt out something to sleep in. She struck lucky and on just her second attempt found a t-shirt and shorts set that looked as though they would fit.

Crawling under the soft covers Sophie breathed in the fresh scents that surrounded her and cocooned her in a feeling of safety. Sleep wasn't something that usually came easily but within seconds of nestling her head into the pillow, she was out.

Sadly, the peace was broken all too soon.

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Bucky shot up from the bed, suddenly wide awake and wondering what had interrupted his dream about walking on a beach with Steve. He knew it hadn't been him and his hand instinctively reached out to the man softly snoring next to him. Frowning as he realised that neither of them had been the cause of his waking, Bucky listened again and after just a few seconds he heard it.

Whimpers and cries; sounds he knew all too well from his and Steve's own nightmares. 

Carefully getting out of bed so as not to wake Steve, Bucky pulled on a pair of sweatpants before quietly leaving the room and heading across to Sophie's side of the floor.

He knocked gently on the door despite knowing it would do nothing to wake her and entered carefully before crossing to the bedroom door which was already open. 

Peering into the dark room, Bucky felt his heart clench as he saw Sophie curled tightly into a ball on the bare mattress (the covers kicked to the floor) shaking violently and crying out incoherent but pain filled mutterings. 

Not knowing how Sophie would react, Bucky approached the bed with caution before crouching down next to it and gently beginning to call to her. When his voice alone made no obvious impact, he reached out to carefully nudge her shoulder as he continued to speak reassuringly "Sophie, come on doll, wake up. You're safe here. It's just me, Bucky."

After a few gentle shakes, Sophie woke suddenly, sitting bolt upright and breathing erratically as Bucky continued to soothe her verbally.

Once her breathing settled, Sophie finally looked at the worried man still crouching next to her bed and offered him a weak smile, "I'm sorry James. I didn't mean to wake you."

Shaking his head Bucky stood and moved to sit on the edge of the bed instead "It's ok. Me and Stevie are used to nightmares. Hell, I don't think there's a single person in this building who isn't! Do you want to talk about it?"

With a groan it was Sophie's turn to shake her head as she declined his offer, "No thank you James... not right now anyway. I think I'll just try and go back to sleep."

Despite knowing that was unlikely, Bucky also recognised her desire for space so nodded in agreement as he stood, "Ok doll. If you need us, we're just across the hall ok??" as he walked towards the door he stopped before reaching it and turned back to Sophie before adding "and you should really start calling me Bucky, or do I need to wait another 70 years for that?" with a wink and a cheeky grin that struck Sophie as so very familiar that she couldn't help but return it with a smile of her own. 

"Ok... Bucky. Thank you." 

Nodding, Bucky again went to leave but this time his exit was stopped by Steve who appeared so fast he almost blurred before he leaned against the doorframe and looked at the two of them, "What's going on? Everything ok?".

It was a casual question but Sophie couldn't miss the careful way Steve's eyes scanned Bucky from top to toe. The sight brought a flash of memory to the forefront of her mind as she remembered a smaller, sicker Steve being given the same once-over by Bucky all those years ago and she smiled softly at the two men as she answered Steve's question, "Fine Steve, I just had a nightmare. Jam--" she caught herself with a wink in his direction, "Bucky woke me up. Sorry."

An understanding smile tinged with sadness crept onto Steve's face as he stepped into the room to move shoulder to shoulder with Bucky as they both looked at her. "You never need to apologise for nightmares. We all have 'em." To which Bucky quietly added, "that's what I said" with a smirk, causing Steve to mutter back "Jerk" with a grin of his own, before Bucky ensured he had the final word with a laughter-filled "Punk". 

As they looked to each other they were shocked back to the present as Sophie's bright chime of laughter filled the air as she watched them. "Oh," she giggled breathlessly, "You two haven't grown up at all have you?" As they frowned at her in amusement she continued "All the shit you two have been through and deep down you're still those cheeky boys from Brooklyn." 

As they grinned at her, her laughter died down and morphed into a gentle smile as she thanked them, "I don't remember the last time I laughed, thank you." She paused to stare at them for a moment, "it's so right, y'know to see you two, just together, the way it should've always been." 

Sophie would've continued but found herself squeezed in the tight embrace of Steve as he whispered a thank you in her ear before pulling back. Nodding a smile she held his gaze as she murmured, "I'm glad you finally got the body to match the strength of your heart Steve."

As Steve eased back from the hug he found himself unable to speak so settled for a soft nod and a slight tilt of his lips before intertwining his fingers with Bucky's and pulling them both towards the door. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once the door had clicked shut behind the pair Sophie collapsed back onto the pillows and drew a deep, shaky breath. 

Looking over at the clock on the bedside table she saw that it was still the early hours of the morning and decided she really should try to sleep again. 

Picking the covers up off the floor she again got herself comfy, while silently praying that this time the nightmares wouldn't return.


	6. Chapter 6

The nightmares didn't return for Sophie that first night and for that she was incredibly grateful as she woke up still wrapped up in the covers, feeling rested for the first time in longer than she could remember as the sunlight streamed in through the window.

After another shower, she dressed in a pair of jeans and a loose jumper before heading back to the small kitchen area nestled in the corner of the room. 

It was only when she stood there staring into a cupboard filled with food that she realised that everyone else might be expecting her, and as if her thoughts had been read a voice spoke, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Good morning Ms Peters. The rest of the team are having breakfast on the common floor as usual, would you like to join them?"

Looking around wildly trying to pinpoint who was speaking, Sophie stuttered out, "Who are you? Where are you?" 

The response came promptly, "Sorry for startling you, I'm Friday, the tower's AI.." Before the voice could continue, Sophie cut in "AI? What's that?"

A quiet sigh echoed through the room before the voice began again, "Perhaps Mr Stark, or Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes would be the best to answer that question. Would you like to join them for breakfast?" 

Nodding before realising the voice might not be able to see her Sophie agreed, "Yes please" and was then guided out to the elevator which began moving, seemingly of its own accord, until the doors opened on the same floor as the day before.

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Bucky was the first to greet her as she stepped into the kitchen/dining area "Morning doll, you sleep ok?" smiling as she nodded in reply before giving Steve a small wave as he looked up from his bowl of cereal. 

Turning from the stove Sam waved a spatula in her direction "Good morning sunshine, how d'ya like your eggs?" 

It was a simple question but it left Sophie stumped, how did she like her eggs? After a moment of arranging her thoughts, she replied with a smile "is scrambled ok?", there was no hesitation from Sam as he assured her "scrambled's just fine, go and sit down with the other oldies", before turning away with a wink and a grin. 

Taking a seat next to Steve and opposite Bucky she looked around at the rest of the team that were scattered around the kitchen; some were also sitting at the table, Natasha was slumped in front of the coffee machine with Clint perched on the counter next to her, while all that could be seen of Bruce was the top of his head as he rummaged in the fridge. 

Just as the thought of Tony's whereabouts entered her mind, the man himself appeared; a cup of coffee already in hand. "Well don't you look like a bright, cheerful bunch this morning? If the world could see you now they might not be so keen on having you as it's protectors.." his comment was cut short as a piece of toast bounced off his forehead and he let out a small yelp of indignation before glaring at the man responsible... Clint, of course.

Hopping onto one of the barstools at the island, Tony spun round to look at Sophie before asking "You sleep ok, newbie?" Sophie was ready to nod and assure him that she did, but Steve spoke before her "a rough start but it smoothed out right Soph?" 

With a gasp, Sophie spun to look at the blonde man who looked perplexed at her reaction "wha-?", Sophie cut him off "What did you call me?", still looking confused Steve nevertheless repeated himself "er, Soph... sorry, it just kind of slipped out, old habit I guess." Shaking her head with a smile that continued to grow Sophie put her hand on his arm "No, it was nice, a shock, but... nice." 

Clearing his throat Tony brought the attention back to him before picking up on the first part of what Steve had said, "rough start? I'm guessing that means nightmares right?" but without giving time for her to reply he continued "well you're in damn good company here, raise your hand if you have nightmares" and as Sophie looked around at the diverse group that had somehow made themselves not only a team but clearly also a family, she was warmed to see that every single one of them held a hand in the air and she smiled at Tony before dipping her head to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.

Bruce had now removed himself from the fridge and sat down across from Sophie as Sam placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. "So, Sophie, I'm sure you have some questions about the serum used on you." He paused as she nodded, her mouth too full of food to speak. "I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to tell you but I've been running some blood analysis overnight. It's not the same as Steve's, it's also not the same as Bucky's, it's as if someone mixed both and then added something else, and I'm not sure what that something else is. Not yet, anyway." 

Bruce then went on to carefully explain how their respective serums had affected Steve and Bucky, and how the most notable appearance of it with her had been how quickly she had healed, with Tony adding in the fact that she must also be very strong to have moved them all from the jet. 

By the time Bruce had finished, Sophie had cleared her plate and it was Wanda that turned to her next, "If you're feeling up to it, we can start whenever you like" she told her with a kind smile. 

Sophie nodded, briefly glancing at Bucky and Steve, before turning fully to Wanda "I'm ready now, I just want it over with" she replied firmly. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Wanda's suggestion, Steve and Bucky moved with them into the seating area but sat far enough away not to be a distraction, just a comforting presence. Almost everyone else had headed off to start their day but Tony and Bruce remained in the kitchen talking in scientific terms that Sophie absolutely did not understand. 

Sitting next to her on the sofa, Wanda twisted to face her and took one of Sophie's hands into her own. "Sophie, you can trust me, I will try to make this as easy as possible, ok? There might be some painful memories though, so I can't promise it won't hurt." 

Clearing her suddenly tight throat Sophie locked eyes with the woman in front of her and attempted what she hoped looked like a reassuring but confident smile, "I can handle it, Wanda, let's do it." 

Over the next few minutes, there was complete silence as both women sat unmoving with their eyes closed, the only sign that anything was happening coming from the faint red mist that surrounded them. 

But suddenly the silence was wrenched apart as a scream tore through the air and Sophie's eyes burst open as she pulled her hands from Wandas and the lights flickered before going out. 

Immediately moving over to where Sophie sat, Steve called out "Tony, backup power, we need light" and as soon as he had finished speaking his wish was granted and the light was restored. 

Sophie was still sat on the sofa but had pulled her knees up to her chest and was hugging them tightly while rocking slightly as she wept, letting out the occasional pained whine. 

Reaching out a careful hand, Steve rested it on her shoulder and spoke softly, "Sophie, can you hear me? It's ok, you're safe. You're here with me, Steve, and Bucky. Wanda's here too. You're ok"

It took a few more reassurances but Sophie slowly began to calm before she opened her eyes and looked up at them, still clearly terrified "what happened?" she whispered.

Wanda was the one to answer, her own voice shaking, "we hit a bad memory, Sophie, I'm sorry I couldn't avoid it. I only saw a blur but..."

Bucky cut in abruptly "a memory of what? What made her react that way?" Sophie responded so quietly even Steve and Bucky had to strain to hear her "they were shocking me. Over and over. I didn't remember and then suddenly it was just.. it felt like I was right back there. It hurt, so much."

Without them realising Tony and Bruce had both stepped into the room after the lights came back on and Tony's anger was barely disguised as he spoke "shocking you? You mean they electrocuted you? They tortured you?" His face twisted with rage as Sophie could only nod in reply as Steve wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her to his chest.

They stayed that way as the minutes stretched on; Sophie pressed to Steve, Bucky close by with one hand on Sophie's shoulder and the other on Steve's waist, Wanda still unmoving from her place on the sofa as she watched on, Tony staring at a spot on the wall as the muscles in his jaw tightened repeatedly and Bruce quietly whispering to himself, deep in thought. 

Only when Sophie pulled back from Steve did anyone else move and collectively they all took a deep breath, which struck Sophie as ridiculous and somehow she found herself letting out a quiet giggle which was joined by breathless, relief-filled laughter from those gathered around her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After everyone had calmed, in part helped by Sam who had returned and made everyone steaming cups of tea, they all sat facing each other as Bruce suggested the theory he had developed.

"The shocks, were they after you were administered the serum?" Sophie nodded, biting her lip as she wondered where he was going with this. "Sophie, have you ever noticed things that run off electricity acting strangely around you?"

Frowning Sophie considered the question as she wrestled through the mountain of memories that now filled her mind. She had been worried she would feel overwhelmed, but it was as though her mind had a filing system in place and everything had just slotted itself into the correct drawer. 

"Lights, I guess" she eventually replied, "sometimes they flicker."

Nodding Bruce seemed unsurprised with her answer, "Is that affected by your emotions?" and when Sophie replied with a nod of her own, he continued "Sophie, I think that the electric shocks you were given somehow interacted with the serum in your blood. Whether that was intentional or not I can't say. But you've made the lights go off twice since you got here, both times you were upset or scared." 

Despite his reassuring tone, Sophie was scared about the possible repercussions of his statement and with both hands and voice shaking she queried "What do I do about it?" 

Before Bruce could reply, Tony did "You learn it. Just like Wanda did with her powers. You find out how it works and then you make it work for you, so it doesn't catch you off-guard." 

Sophie's reply was simple "how?"

It was Wanda who answered her, "I'll help you. Think of it like brain training" she smiled reassuringly. And it did reassure Sophie who took a deep breath before agreeing "Ok, when do we start?" 

Bucky spoke up next, "not until tomorrow, you need to eat doll, come on let's see what Sam's cooking." 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days fell into a comfortable, safe routine for Sophie. She woke up and had breakfast with everyone before sitting down with Wanda. To begin with she felt she was fighting a constant battle against her mind but with Wanda's support she persevered. 

By day 3 she could make the lights flicker on and off at will without breaking a sweat and from there it seemed to get easier, as though she had found the key to a padlock. 

On day 5 as she peered around the corner to watch Sam in the kitchen as Wanda giggled behind her, Sophie switched the blender on just as Sam bent over to put on the lid, sending mushed vegetables flying into the air and covering Sam from head to toe. 

As he stormed towards them the two women ran away laughing hysterically as Sam threatened to stop feeding them for the rest of the week. 

But there was one other thing that was routine; her nightmares. 

It didn't seem to matter how well her day went or how tired she was when she got into bed, every night was the same. She'd fall asleep easily only to be gently shaken awake by either Steve or Bucky after she had woken them with her noise. 

The only saving grace was that after a few minutes of reassurance from whichever soldier had come to her aid, she was able to fall back asleep and snooze soundly until the morning. 

Then they had to go on a mission. 

They had both said goodbye to her with a hug as they headed to the Quinjet and promised they'd be back soon while Sam had slung an arm around her shoulders and promised that he'd have replaced them by the time they returned which brought laughter from them all and a slightly harder than necessary punch on Sam's arm from Bucky.

And Sophie was fine, she worked with Wanda during the day, helped Sam with the cooking and even did a bit of yoga with Natasha. Of course, she missed her oldest friends but she understood they had a job to do and the rest of the team ensured she didn't feel lonely. 

But then it was nighttime. 

It wasn't until Sophie crawled into bed that she wondered what would happen when she had her nightmare tonight? Would she wake herself from it? 

The worry made it harder to fall asleep but eventually, she was able to fall into an initially dreamless slumber. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Friday that woke Sophie, with continuous gentle calls to draw her out of her terror. 

As Sophie sat trembling, Friday asked if Sophie wanted someone to be notified but she declined, asking instead to be taken to the kitchen as she shakily stood and made her way out of her room to the elevator. 

Sophie made herself a cup of tea using the bags that Sam claimed "could make even the Hulk sleepy" and sat down on one of the stools at the counter. The room was a little too dark for her liking so she reached out mentally to turn on a single spotlight above her; not too bright but enough to chase away the shadows. 

She wasn't sure how long she had sat there but Sophie was jolted when the elevator dinged quietly as her solitude was broken. It was too dark to see who was joining her until the gentle glow of Tony's arc reactor appeared as he smiled tiredly at her.

"Hi Tony" she murmured, "Do you want some tea?" she queried, raising her mug in his direction. 

"Don't worry, I'll get it" he replied just as quietly, before sitting down next to her once he'd filled a mug of his own. 

Nodding up to the single spotlight he asked her gently, "scared of the dark?" 

Breathing a laugh Sophie didn't hesitate with her response "terrified." 

"Well y'know if you ever want a torch and can't find a lightbulb to manipulate, I'm a walking night light" Tony joked, tapping his arc reactor to emphasize his point. 

Thinking it over Sophie wondered aloud "maybe that's what I need to stop the nightmares.. a night light. I've never been good at sleeping in the dark."

Unable to think of a response that wouldn't sound too suggestive Tony settled for quietly drinking his tea as he lost himself in thought. 

He was broken out of it when Sophie stretched causing her joints to pop and she glanced at him with a grin "that felt good" before adding quietly"I think I'm going to move to the sofa, I don't want to go back to bed."

Tony nodded and before he could overthink it he offered "could I come sit with you? Be a night light?" 

"I'd like that" came the soft reply.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Settled on the sofa, they initially sat at opposite ends before Tony stretched out an arm as an invitation to move closer if Sophie wanted to. 

As they talked through endless topics from books to spiders (they both hated them) and from stories from before the war to tales of Avengers exploits, they ended up sitting shoulder to shoulder, knees pressed together as they both reclined cross-legged. 

At some point, the conversation slowed and posture softened until Sophie had her head rested against Tony's shoulder, his arm wrapped gently behind her and his head resting on her own as they both fell into a soothing sleep that wouldn't be interrupted by the horrors lurking in their minds.

With morning light softly grazing their faces, Steve and Bucky stood and looked at the scene that had greeted them as they returned home from their mission, the rest of the tower still asleep. 

After watching silently for a few minutes, Bucky turned to Steve and firmly whispered: "You need to have the Dad talk with Tony." 

Steve turned to him, confusion etched across his face as he uttered back "the Dad talk?"

"Yep," Bucky gestured to the snoozing pair, "The 'what are your intentions to our girl and if you hurt her I'll kill you' talk."

"Buck, I don't think that's what this is.." Steve began but Bucky cut him off "Yeah it is, I've seen the way Tony looks at her, from when she first arrived."

As Steve now let his gaze travel over them he asked "how do you know?", to which Bucky's response was simple "because it's the way I look at you and the way you look at me."

Letting out a quiet sigh, Steve's mouth turned up the slightest bit at the corner before he looked back at Bucky "Ok, we'll talk to him. Later."

And with a gentle push, he steered Bucky to the elevator as the pair headed back to their room for some cuddles of their own and some well-earned rest.

The serious conversations could wait until everyone was awake and appropriately caffeinated.


	7. Chapter 7

It was the usual breakfast clatter that woke Sophie as the sounds of cutlery on china, the whirr of the coffee machine and the general rustling of people moving around threaded their way from the kitchen to where she was curled up on the sofa.

The first thing she became aware of as she slowly opened her eyes was that she was warm, very warm. She appeared to be cocooned in a bundle of blankets, and with a gentle gasp, she realised that those blankets also hid the man whose arms were still tightly wrapped around her as he held her close to her chest.

Closing her eyes again as she attempted to remember how she'd ended up in this position, she could just feel the edges of Tony's arc reactor gently pressing into the ridge of her shoulder blade and a smile crept onto her face as the memories of their chat in the early hours came back to her.

Twisting to look at the man behind her, Sophie cast a careful gaze across Tony's face and marvelled at just how peaceful he looked when he slept. But her shameless observations were cut short when a smirk appeared on the face in question before a quiet murmur escaped his mouth "stop staring at me you weirdo." The shock of his sudden awakening coupled with him catching her staring brought a strangled cross between a cough and laugh from her throat as he opened her eyes to look at her for the first time.

Tony barely managed to croak out a gravelly "hi" before Sam was hollering from the kitchen "Hey sleeping beauties, it's breakfast time. Most important meal of the day. Get up!"

After carefully disentangling themselves from the blankets the pair made their way into the kitchen and were immediately met with a wall of stares as everyone turned their attention onto them. As they both faltered under the intense attention it was Clint that broke the silence "so, you two are snuggle buddies now huh?"

With Sophie gaping silently, Tony stepped around her to silently grab a mug of coffee before almost running to the elevator with a grunt of "need to go to the lab."

After watching Tony's escape Sophie turned to the rest of the team with a shrug and a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before sitting down and reaching for a piece of toast as Sam muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "coward" under his breath.

Everyone ate in silence for a few minutes, but Sophie was still acutely aware that their attention was on her and knew her reprieve was likely to be short-lived. 

As expected, Steve eventually cleared his throat and when she met his gaze started to say "Soph, what.." but before he could even finish the question Sophie had leapt out of her chair and was running from the room with a backwards wave and a yell of "I need to go to the gym!"

Just as Sophie leant against the back wall of the elevator, breathing a sigh of relief as the doors began to close, she grimaced as Sam called out "you're both cowards!"

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That night she again found herself sitting in the kitchen with just her sole spotlight for company, having avoided going to sleep to give Bucky and Steve a full night of rest without her screaming interrupting them. 

And just like the night before as she sat there cradling a cup of tea the elevator dinged and that gentle blue glow grew closer until she could see the face of the man standing in front of her. 

"Hi Tony" she whispered, deliberately choosing the same words as before, "want some tea?" 

His answering smile shone brighter than if she'd had all the lights switched on as he whispered back, "I'll get it." 

Sitting down on the stool next to her, he took a careful sip from his mug before turning to her "So, need a night light again?" 

It was said casually, a smirk just lifting the corners of his mouth, but as Sophie caught his eyes she could see the edges of tension there; he'd made it seem as though the question and its answer didn't matter, but they did. 

Dropping her gaze before smiling back at him, Sophie took a deep breath and decided it was time to be brave, "If you don't mind.." she began but Tony was already shaking his head as he interrupted her, "of course I don't mind, sofa?" 

This time they didn't start at opposite ends, instead, they sat down right next to each other, naturally seeking the comfort the other provided. And as Sophie cuddled close while Tony draped them in blankets, they got lost in simple, easy conversations just like the night before. 

Sophie was the first to fall asleep, her face tucked into Tony's neck as they had both slumped down as they talked and as Tony took his turn to watch her sleep he marvelled at the fact that while he was her night light, she was fast becoming his safety blanket. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The following morning was a carbon copy of the first, they woke up to the sounds of breakfast before Tony hightailed it to the lab and Sophie found some reason to escape after eating quickly. 

And the pattern repeated itself twice more before Bucky put his foot down. 

"Steve" he growled out, "you need to talk to Tony. Do they even know how fast they're falling for each other?"

With an exasperated sigh, Steve tiredly rubbed his face, "I know Buck, we'll talk to both of them later." 

But Bucky wasn't interested in being patient, not that it was a strong point of his anyway, so without telling Steve where he was going, he made his way down to the lab to speak with Tony himself.

As the door glided open, Tony barely lifted his head to acknowledge his entrance but gave a curt "Barnes" before returning his focus to the work in front of him. 

Bucky had only just seated himself opposite the "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" (his own words) when the mission siren began to scream.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standing on the launch pad ready to board the QuinJet everyone took turns to give Sophie a quick hug before promising to see her soon. Clint had demanded she has takeaway ready on their return "Chinese, as many spring rolls as they'll let you have". Sam had given her a tight squeeze and told her to ask Friday for his playlist if she got lonely. Natasha and Wanda had given her a double hug and boarded with the promise of a "girls night" hanging in the air. 

Then it was Steve and Bucky. Steve held her tight before stepping back to keep her at arm's length as he looked at her seriously, "If you need us, you call. Ok? Don't leave the Tower" before pulling her back in for a final squeeze. 

Bucky pressed a gentle kiss to her hair when he pulled away from his hug and promised "we'll be back soon. You're safe here." Before ducking to catch Sophie's gaze as he noticed the tears in her eyes, "Hey doll, what's wrong? We'll be fine."

Shaking her head as she wiped away the tears that escaped, Sophie looked at Bucky and whispered, "I've been here for such a short time, but I trust everyone. Not just you and Steve, but all of them. I love all of you and I don't understand how that happened so fast. And now you're all leaving" she rushed the words out breathlessly. 

Bucky pulled her back into his warm embrace and soothed her gently, "Trusting these guys isn't a bad thing doll, they're good people. I mean, they have to be to put up with me and Stevie right?" That brought a laugh from Sophie and Bucky pulled away again knowing he had to leave. "You ring us anytime you want. We might not be able to answer right away but even when we're not here, you're not alone. OK?" When she nodded, he moved away, leaving just one more goodbye to be said. 

When Tony stepped in front of her, he gave her a trademark smirk before throwing his thumb over his shoulder to point back at the tower, "Don't break my building ok? I'm trusting you with it." 

With a watery smile, Sophie laughed and reassured him, "I promise I won't break it, Tony. I have to live here too y'know." But then her smile faltered as she asked the question she'd been avoiding, "How long will you guys be gone?"

His own smile fading Tony stepped up to wrap his arms around her as he admitted "I don't know. A week max." 

When he pulled away, Sophie nodded, forcing a smile back onto her face. "Ok. I'll try not to eat all your skittles" she added a wink for effect before finishing, "Just be careful ok? All of you. Look out for each other and then come home."

Unable to resist, Tony leaned in for another hug and as he buried his nose in her hair to breathe her in for one last time he murmured a promise that they would. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With everyone gone the Tower fell quiet and as Sophie moved from kitchen to sofa to gym to pool to rooftop she sullenly marvelled at how without its usual occupants, the building lost all its life and colour. 

It had been a few hours since the team had left and Sophie found herself sitting on the sofa with a sketchbook on her knee as she doodled and tried to distract herself from wondering what would happen if she had a nightmare that night. Since she and Tony had made a habit of falling asleep on the sofa she hadn't had any, and she knew he hadn't either, but she was afraid of what would happen now she was truly alone. 

But the silence was broken suddenly by Friday announcing that the QuinJet would be landing in 10 minutes, before adding on an advisory for Dr Cho's medical team that their presence was required. 

The joy that had spread through Sophie lasted for less than a heartbeat as she had realised it wasn't going to be good news even before Friday had added the medical alert, and she suddenly felt as though the blood in her veins had turned to ice. One of them was hurt.

Racing to the launchpad Sophie skidded out into the cool night air just as the medical team assembled, with the silhouette of the plane growing ever closer. She spared a brief thought of the last time she had seen it coming into land but as soon as the wheels touched down and the back ramp began to descend she was sprinting towards it.

Before she could reach the door, however, she was swept up into a pair of arms that she instantly recognised as Bucky's when the man himself hoisted her close to his chest and started walking towards the tower with her in his arms. 

Fighting to get loose Sophie demanded to know who was hurt, dreading it was Steve but when the blonde appeared next to them she breathed a momentary sigh of relief before resuming her demand for information.

Now back inside the tower, Bucky carefully dropped her to the floor before the two men shared a quick glance. As Sophie prepared to repeat her question Steve spoke first, "It's Tony. He got hit."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Time stood still for Sophie as Steve's words registered in her mind. Tony. Collapsing back onto the sofa she struggled to form words before she eventually forced out a question, "Will he be ok?"

Sitting down next to her, Steve's tension surrounded him like a halo but some of it relaxed as he let out a deep breath and took one of her hands in his own, "Yeah, he'll be ok. Just needs the Doc to work some magic."

Bucky then sat on her other side and took her other hand. Knowing she was about to ask what happened he decided to beat her to it, "I know you want to ask" he started with a glance at her, "he took a hit to the chest and it threw him backwards into a building, hard. Stevie's right though" he continued with a squeeze of her hand, "he was able to bitch at me on the flight home so he'll be fine. Just needs some work on his leg." 

Nodding that she understood, Sophie collapsed into Bucky's side pulling Steve with her, leaving them a jumbled mess of arms and legs. Which is how Sam found them a couple of hours later.

Smiling at the sight of the three of them fast asleep tangled together, Sam shook Steve gently awake, "Steve, Tony's out of surgery. He's asking for Soph."

With a yawn, Steve, in turn, turned to Bucky who had also woken when Sam spoke and with a small nod Bucky gently nudged the woman curled up to his chest, "Sophie, come on doll, time to wake up."

Sitting up Sophie rubbed her eyes and stretched the crick out of her neck before looking up at Sam, "Hey Sammie, you ok?" she asked with a kind smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine... Tony's ready to see you if you want..." but Sam was unable to finish his sentence as Sophie leapt up and sprinted past him to the elevator, leaving the three men trailing behind her.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stepping into the med lab Sophie spoke quickly with Dr Cho who reassured her that Tony's surgery had gone well and that while he'd need to rest for a couple of weeks he would recover fully. 

Thanking her, Sophie moved to the smaller room just off from the lab where Tony was laid out on the bed, a tablet already in his hands as he restlessly flicked across the screen.

Leaning against the doorway, Sophie took the chance to just watch him for a moment as she let her eyes wander hungrily over him, checking for herself that he really was ok. 

When her eyes reached his, they were already locked on her and she couldn't have stopped herself from moving towards the bed if she'd tried. 

Slipping into the seat next to the bed, she took the hand that Tony had stretched out to her and greeted him with a smile and soft "hi", with Tony mimicking her in response.

Maintaining eye contact Sophie gave his hand a tight squeeze and mock glared at him, desperately trying to restrain the smile that wanted to break free, "I told you to be careful Tony." 

Flashing a look of guilt her way, he murmured softly, "I know, and I'm sorry. On the way back all I could think about was 'What's Sophie going to say?'" he switched swiftly to a smirk as he continued "but I kept the rest of my promise.. we all came home and everyone else is fine!" Sophie snorted in reply and threw another glare that held no real heat his way. 

Softening under his gaze, Sophie leaned close to rest her other arm on the bed, "Dr Cho says you'll be fine, but" she punctuated her pause with a very firm stare this time, "you need to rest for a couple of weeks. And before you even think of interrupting me, you **will** be resting Mr Stark. I will make sure of that."

With a grin, Tony tucked his finger under her chin as he asked, his voice full of humour, "Oh really, Ms Peters, and how are you going to do that? Are you going to be my nurse?"

While Tony was teasing it took him by surprise when Sophie immediately replied in a tone that left no room for doubt or argument "yep. I'll stay on your floor until you're better. Pepper can rearrange your meetings." 

"She won't like that" murmured Tony, still grinning. 

"She won't have a choice" Sophie assured him, now with a smile of her own, "I'm in charge now. Keep the S.I but now it's Sophie Industries" she added with a wink and a burst of laughter.

Pulling her close for a hug, Tony buried his nose in her hair just as he had before they left for the mission, "I'm glad you're here y'know" he whispered.

"Me too, Tony, me too" came the soft reply.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to follow me on tumblr (shenala.tumblr.com) I sometimes add art to chapters.. including this one!

It came as a surprise to no-one that Tony was not patient when it came to his rehab. 

Sure he'd nodded and replied in all the right places when Dr Cho had been giving him the rundown of what he was, and more importantly not, allowed to do for the next couple of weeks. But as soon as he was back on his floor? Yeah, that all went straight out of the window. Not that Sophie had expected anything else, of course.

But for the first few days while he was irritable he still mostly did as he was told and was willing to let Sophie help him around. Funnily enough, he also had no complaints when it came to his daily muscle massage, something Sophie noted with an eye-roll.

Then something flipped as they came to the end of the first week and Tony's attitude took a sharp turn downhill. 

"Just stop it, Sophie. Leave it. No, leave _me_ alone. I can manage" he snapped angrily at her as she moved to help him up from his chair. Taking a deep breath while chanting "he doesn't mean it" internally, Sophie only paused for a second before wrapping her arm around him to help him move to the sofa. 

It had started as soon as she'd gone in to help him out of bed that morning, he'd barely mumbled a hello and stubbornly refused eye contact for the first time since she'd met him. He'd steadfastly denied her access to the bathroom with him with a curt "I can wash myself" and a slam of the door. And he had sulked all through breakfast. 

Once he was settled Sophie moved to check he had enough pillows giving him support from behind and went to place one under his leg that was stretched out on top of footstool in front of him, but before she could it was snatched from her hand by the man himself with a grumble of "I'll do it."

Now Sophie would be the first to admit that she wasn't the most patient of people either and after a morning of Tony's attitude she had pretty much exhausted her reserves. Which is why before she could catch herself she found herself snapping back a reply, "Tony what the hell is the matter with you today?!"

If nothing else that brought Tony's gaze sharply up to meet hers but as she saw the furious glint in his eyes she knew this wasn't going to be good and braced herself.

"What's wrong with me?" Tony all but growled, frustration evident in every uttered syllable, "I'm so sick of this. All of it. Not being able to do anything for myself. My leg. You..."

Stepping back from him with a startled gasp Sophie saw the regret flash across his face as soon as he registered what he'd said, but was too furious to let him try and talk his way back from it. 

Taking a deep breath she fought to keep her voice steady as she looked him directly in the eye, "Fine. Manage without me" and with that she spun around and marched straight to the elevator, entering without a backwards glance or another word as the doors closed behind her. 

Tony attempted to get up from the sofa but was sent reeling back into the cushions as pain shot up his leg, and he smacked his hand over his face as he realised what he'd done "I'm such an idiot" he mumbled.

He hadn't moved from this position, not that he could, when 5 minutes later the elevator dinged and he snapped his eyes towards it, his apology already on his tongue as the doors opened "Soph, I'm so-.. oh. Hi Sam."

Sam walked towards him, arms folded across his chest and one brow arched as he looked down at the older man, "You screwed up Stark" he stated plainly. 

Tony nodded and found his throat suddenly felt very tight as he replied quietly, "I know", before asking hurriedly "where did she go? Is she ok? Is she coming back?"

Sam shook his head before sitting down next to him, "She's with Cap and Frosty. And no she's not ok. As for her coming back, I don't know, she just asked if I'd keep an eye on you, so here I am." 

"I took out my frustrations on her. I said I was sick of her. I didn't mean it like that. I just..." Tony started but was interrupted by Sam, "I know" before continuing when Tony arched a brow in surprise, "she told Bucky what happened." He then chuckled as Tony barely suppressed a wince before muttering, "great, the granddads are going to kill me."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two men then spent the rest of the day flicking between watching awful daytime tv and discussing upgrades for Sam's wings, and Tony put a conscious effort into keeping a hold on his annoyances as he had to be helped around. If Sophie did come back, and god did he hope she would, he needed to be more patient, he knew that. After all, she had been so patient with him. 

It was just before Sam was thinking about heading down to the common room to grab them some food when Sophie returned, with both men's eyes darting to the elevator as the doors slide open to reveal her standing there with takeaway food cradled in her arms. 

"It's ok Sam, you can go now," she told him with a smile, "dinner's ready downstairs. Thank you for your help" she finished, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before he quickly retreated to head down. 

Her smile quickly faded as she slammed some of the food cartons down in front of Tony with a sharp command of "eat" before she turned and walked to the guest room she'd been staying in since his injury, closing the door behind her with a bang. 

And she stayed there for the next couple of hours before she finally came back out to the living room, already dressed in her pyjamas of sweatpants and one of Steve's oversized t-shirts. Walking over to where Tony was still seated on the sofa she extended a hand in front of him, "Come on, bed" she stated simply before pulling him up and moving her arm around his waist. 

Tony knew it was properly in his best interests to remain quiet at this point, and it was only when she quickly went to leave after helping him sit on his bed that he spoke up, "Sophie. Wait" he paused as she stilled before continuing, "I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean it." 

Her back still facing him, he could only see the quick bob of her head as she nodded before she uttered a quiet, "night Tony" and left the room. 

It was a struggle but Tony managed to get himself cleaned up, changed and into bed with only a little help from the crutch he had abandoned almost as soon as he'd been handed it. But as he lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling, all he could think of was how was he going to fix things in the morning? He grappled with his mind as the realization of just how much he cared about Sophie flooded to the forefront and he knew he couldn't bear another day of her not speaking to him, even when it was his fault.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was pitch-black when Tony was jolted awake and as he sat up in bed desperately trying to regain his bearings it wasn't immediately clear what had woken him, but then he heard it. He heard her. And he realized with a sharp curse of "shit" that Sophie was having a nightmare. 

Grabbing the loathsome crutch Tony stumbled out of his room and made the short walk to Sophie's, his leg trembling as pain shot up it with every step. Opening the door, he quietly called to Friday to bring the lights up just a little as he stepped towards the bed. 

With the darkness receding just enough, Tony could now see that Sophie was curled into the tightest ball he'd ever seen. Every muscle on her body was tensed and heartwrenching whimpers were falling from her lips, mostly unintelligible but then Tony's heart stopped as one he could decipher slipped out into the night air, "Tony. No" followed by a sharp cry of pain that jolted him back into movement. 

Settling carefully on the edge of the bed, Tony reached out a cautious hand and rested it on the curve of her shoulder as he began to speak, "Sophie. Soph. Wake up sweetheart" he repeated his words as a fervent chant, adding in a gentle shake as he begged her to come out of the terror consuming her. His name was uttered a few more times, each one sending a shock straight to his heart before finally, she woke up with a breathless gasp.

Snapping out of her tight curl, Sophie bolted upright and wrapped her arms around her knees as she took in her surroundings and tried to ground herself. All the while Tony kept up a gentle murmur, "Sophie, it's ok, I'm here, you're ok."

What felt like hours was, in reality, only mere moments and then she was in his arms, pressed as close as humanly possible to his chest as she broke down into a sob that had teardrops wetting his neck as he soothed her.

When Sophie had eventually calmed herself and the tears had ceased to fall, she pulled back just enough to see Tony's face, while still keeping her arms tightly around his torso, "Tony I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

With a gentle smile, Tony pulled her back close and pressed a kiss to her temple before replying, "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I'm so sorry about earlier, I didn't mean what I said" before adding, "and I'm sorry I wasn't here to keep your nightmares away."

Relief flooded through him as he felt and heard her chuckle against him as she whispered, "Yeah, guess you really are my nightlight." 

His face splitting with a smile she couldn't see, Tony gave Sophie another squeeze, "well how about we both try and get some sleep?" and as she began to shake her head he cut her off before she could interrupt, "I'm not leaving you. Come on get under the covers and move over." 

Thankfully Sophie moved to do as he said without argument, instead only asking "are you sure you wouldn't be happier in your bed?" which Tony responded to with a laugh before shaking his head "Here's fine, besides I don't think I can walk back to my room."

As he slid into the bed beside her and pulled the covers up over them both, Sophie immediately hugged up close to his chest; wrapping one arm around him, palm flat to his shoulder blade, face pressed to just above his reactor and knees tangled in with his. 

As she pressed a soft kiss to his sternum, he whispered one of his own against her hair and his "goodnight Sophie" was answered with her "night Tony" before they both fell into a calm, uninterrupted sleep.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning started so much brighter than the one that came before. Tony was the first awake and he revelled in the ability to just watch Sophie as she slept. The morning light cast a gentle shadow across her face, with golden highlights touching ever so lightly on the tip of her nose and the curve of her lips. She was beautiful, he mused. 

Unable to stop it his mind then turned to what Hydra had done to her but while it set a chill in his bones thinking of what she had endured it was offset by the knowledge that it had ensured he could meet her, that she could be there lying in his arms. 

It startled him when the jolt of realization hit him that this must be only a sliver of how it felt for Steve and his eyes widened as for the first time he truly began to appreciate that the man they all saw as "Cap" had loved and lost everything, had been so lost that he hadn't hesitated when it came time to lay down his own life only to be forced back into the world decades later; still alone, that he'd then had the one thing, the one person, he'd treasured above everything else thrown back in front of him; changed, weaponised and unable to remember him. 

Tony knew, if he was honest with himself, that he didn't really blame Barnes anymore. The images from the security footage would be forever burned into his consciousness but something about Sophie's presence had helped him to reconcile with the fact that the enemy wasn't Barnes; the man that Steve had loved so completely that he had thrown everything away to get him back, had laid down his shield for him, even knowing he wasn't the same man, understanding he would never be the same man. No, the enemy wasn't James Buchanan Barnes, he thought with a wry smile, no more than it was this Sophie Peters. The enemy was Hydra. It was their evil that had taken two good people and removed their right to choose.

Unconsciously as these thoughts had been whirring through his mind, both startling and relieving as he processed them, he had pulled Sophie closer to him, the movement just enough to cause her to stir. 

Smiling down at her he murmured "morning sweetheart" and was met with a breathtaking, although sleepy, grin in return before she snuggled even nearer. 

The rest of the morning progressed easily, help was given willingly from her and accepted gratefully from him, he knew the cost of pushing her away now and had no intention of doing so again. To her credit, Sophie was also making an effort, asking if he wanted her assistance first, allowing him the chance to attempt it alone if he wanted. 

The simple peace continued for another couple of days; the clouds that had been hanging over Tony were long gone and he was further cheered by the fact he had another session in the Cradle with Dr Cho. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophie was putting some groceries away when the elevator alerted her to Tony's return and she whirled around quickly, a gentle scold for not letting her walk him back up ready on her tongue but it died before it could be spoken into life as her eyes grew wide and her jaw fell slack as Tony walked out of the elevator without a crutch, or more astonishingly, a limp, in sight. 

Throwing his arms out wide, his smirk was firmly in place as he asked, "Well, what do you think?" 

With a laugh, she all but ran at him before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, "You look great Tone" Sophie assured him. 

Stepping back he grinned back at her, "I'm glad you think so because I had something I want to ask you.." before chuckling as apprehension spread across her face. Reaching out to smooth a thumb across her cheek he added, "nothing scary, I promise."

Keeping his gaze firmly on her, Tony spoke with just a hint of nerves to his voice, "Friday? If you'll do the honours."

Before Sophie could ask what that meant the soft tones of Fred Astaire eased into the air from invisible speakers and her eyes grew wide with recognition, "This song, it's from the 30s."

Nodding Tony stepped closer to her and held out his hand, "I know. I wanted to ask, will you dance with me?" 

Placing her hand in his Sophie chuckled, "How do you know I can dance Mr Stark?" 

Pulling her tight to him, Tony intertwined their fingers before placing his other hand firmly at her lower back before answering with a grin, "I asked Barnes." That drew an eye-roll and a snort from Sophie, "don't believe anything he says." 

Tucking his head into the crook of her neck as she repeated the motion with her own his whisper caressed her ear, "guess I'll just have to see for myself."

_"...a voice within me keeps repeating_  
_You, you, you._  
_Night and day_  
_You are the one_  
_Only you beneath the moon_  
_And under the sun_  
_Whether near to me or far_  
_No matter, darling Where you are_  
_I think of you_  
_Night and day_ " 


	9. Chapter 9

Things progressed quickly and with ease between Tony and Sophie now that he was fully recovered from his injury. They became almost inseparable; with Sophie spending most of her days down in his lab and her nights curled up next to him in his bed.

When she wasn't with Tony she was working with Wanda to continue honing her powers, as well as starting close combat training with Nat... something she didn't hesitate to profess her hatred for to anyone who would listen. Neither of these held any purpose other than to occupy her time as Bucky had made it quite clear one night over dinner that "she's not going on missions. No way. No how. Over my dead body" before adding with a furious wave of his fork "and I don't kill easily."

Unfortunately, this was one thing Bucky wasn't going to get his way with.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Everyone suit up" Steve commanded as he entered the room, already mission ready in both attitude and attire. 

As everyone turned to him with a frown, it was Bruce that raised the question "What's going on Steve?" 

With a deep sigh, Steve leant against the doorframe as he answered, "that Hydra base near where we found Sophie? That took down the QuinJet? Fury got in touch with the info we needed to take it down." He paused to look at the still unmoving group of people in front of him before giving them his best Captain America face, "So if you guys could follow orders and SUIT UP that would be great".

While the team filed out in rush, Sophie stepped up to Steve and held firm under his scrutinizing gaze, certain he already knew what she was about to say. "I'm coming with you" she declared, mentally cheering at how steady her voice had sounded.

Before Steve could even open his mouth in response, Tony was spinning back to face them, terror etched across his face as he waved his arms frantically, "No. N.O. That's a no." 

Bucky had been the only team member not to move when Steve had issued the order but he was standing next to Sophie almost instantaneously as he agreed with Tony, "No way in hell sweetheart" he stated with a face that allowed no arguments.

Levelling both men with a glare, Sophie turned back to Steve, "Captain?" 

Steve took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled with closed eyes before looking back at her, purposefully ignoring Bucky, "You follow every order I give you, clear?"

Responding with a simple nod and "yes sir" Sophie restrained herself from the urge to salute and went to move around Steve to ask Natasha if she had a spare suit she could wear, but Tony stood in her way and held her still with his hands firm on her shoulders and a hard stare meeting her eyes. 

Bucky didn't hold back his growl as he pushed past Steve, "I hope our new couch is as comfy as you said, Stevie." Confusion spreading across his face, Steve replied, "What's that got to do with..." before Bucky cut him off, "Because your ass is going to be sleeping on it!"

With wide eyes, Steve hurried after the brunette man, "Come on Buck, we need her!"

The super soldiers out of the way, there was nothing to distract Sophie from the man in front of her. "Tony.." she tried to reason but was interrupted almost instantly. 

"Don't Tony me. I want to make it very clear that I am 100% against this plan. Ok?" he paused so she could nod in understanding before continuing with a resigned sigh, "But, I knew this would happen eventually. No matter how much TinMan argued against it. So I made you this."

Tony then reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace, the pendant of which was a small replica of his own arc reactor. 

Taking it from him with shaking hands, Sophie frowned at him, "Tone it's beautiful but what..." 

Tony took it back from her hands and slipped it over her head before gently pressing it as it lay against her chest.

A surprised squeak escaped Sophie as her clothes were suddenly covered in what appeared to be a thin and flexible, yet obviously strong, armour.   
After taking the time to gaze down at her new outfit that resembled one of Natasha's catsuits but without the hassle of actually getting dressed, she looked back up to Tony who was watching her with a small smirk. 

He then tapped the reactor, triggering his own suit (minus helmet) to burst into form and was unable to hold back his grin as he saw one spread over Sophie's face at the realisation that he had used his nano-technology for her. 

"You like it?" he asked, sure of her answer but still slightly nervous. With a laugh, Sophie wrapped her arms around him, "Tony, I love it. We match!" 

They were brought back to the situation at hand by two voices cutting across each other, the first from someone in a red suit that Sophie didn't recognise saying "Oh so you must be Sophie. I'm Peter. Or Spiderman. Mr Stark has told me so much about you", and the other from Bucky "Oh hell no. Steve. She's even got a suit. Stark; WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?!" 

With a shrug, Tony addressed him first, "I don't like this any more than you do Barnes. But I knew it would happen.. and if you're honest so did you. Might as well make sure she's safe", before turning to Peter, "and it's about time you two met, Sophie this is Peter. Pete; Sophie. Don't attack her with pop culture references, she won't get them." 

Sliding his shield into place on his back, Steve brought everyone's attention to him, "Ok guys. Objective is to get as much intel as we can and take out as many Hydra operatives as possible while we do that. When we're done, Clint you can set off some fireworks. Everyone clear? Good, move out."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite her nerves on the QuinJet, once they actually got started Sophie was surprised to find that they cleared to leave nothing but steely determination as she used everything she'd learnt from the people fighting around her. 

At Steve's order, her first act was to send out a pulse that rendered all of their enemy's communication devices useless, while still leaving theirs perfectly intact. It was something her and Wanda had only attempted on a small scale back at the tower, but seeing it work flawlessly gave her a surge of confidence. 

Engaging with a Hydra operative Sophie slipped easily into the hand-to-hand combat she'd worked on with Natasha, even attempting a couple of moves she'd seen Bucky use during sparring, but as she disarmed the man in front of her, another grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arm around her neck. Sophie took a split second to note the lack of panic she felt before reaching up and back to press her hands to the man's neck, barely giving him the chance to register the touch before she sent a burst of electricity through her veins, instantly knocking him unconscious and releasing her from his grasp. 

Having dispatched with his own opponent, Bucky turned to look at her with wide eyes, "That was new" he pointed out. 

Looking down at her hands, Sophie drew a deep breath and nodded as she glanced back up at him, "I don't know how I did that." 

Before Bucky could reply, Steve's shield whizzed past her knocking out an approaching enemy before returning to the thrower whose expression mirrored some of Bucky's disbelief, "Well, we can figure that out later. We're ready to head in, you two stick together." 

Once inside the Hydra bunker, Sophie slipped into position behind Bucky as he led her through the maze of corridors; meticulously checking each room as they went until they reached one filled with computers. 

Bucky swiftly began the process of transferring files, while Sophie, in turn, inspected some of the printouts pinned to the wall. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure emerge from the shadows and move towards Bucky, but just as the man began to speak, "Longing.." she swung her leg around to deliver a sharp kick to his throat, throwing him back into the wall before she pounced on him; knees pinning his arms to the floor as her hands found their rightful place around his neck.

Behind her, Bucky trained his gun unwaveringly on the man beneath her, but Sophie paid him little attention as she bent low to speak, venom dripping through her voice, "Your scum will never hurt him again and your words don't work anymore." Her hands gave little room for the man to respond, but it didn't stop him from trying "cut off one--", however, Sophie had little patience for that nonsense and simply rolled her eyes before interrupting him with a curt "oh do be quiet" and then letting her power flow through her fingers as she felt his pulse stutter to a halt. 

Helping her up from the floor with an outstretched hand, Bucky barely concealed the awe in his eyes as he checked her over for any injuries before dropping his head to utter a quiet "thank you." 

Bringing him into a quick hug, Sophie pressed a kiss to his cheek and smoothed his hair back from his face as she smiled at him, "anytime James."

After they completed transferring files, Steve's voice cut through their comms, "Alright, looks like we're done, everyone back to the jet. Barton; do your thing." 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they reached the QuinJet the rest of the team were already waiting for them, and while Bucky handed Steve the drive with the files, Tony pulled Sophie sharply to his side, "Are you ok? I saw what happened on the security camera feed in the suit. You could've been killed" he rambled furiously.

As everyone else looked on with confusion, Steve turned to them with a frown, "Tony what are you talking about?" but it was Bucky that answered, "er, this guy snuck up on us, tried to use my words but Sophie dealt with it." 

Tony then cut in before Steve could respond, "by dealing with it, Manchurian Candidate means she roundhouse kicked him and then, what? Shocked him to death? How long have you been able to do that anyway?" he finished, facing Sophie again. 

Offering him nothing but a shrug and small smile, Sophie moved to take her seat on the QuinJet before cheekily asking Clint, "so where are these fireworks Hawkeye?" 

Clint glanced at Steve for approval and after getting a nod, removed a small device from his pocket and grinned at Sophie before pressing the button. Silence reigned for a couple of seconds before explosions filled the air and shook the ground beneath them before the jet began its ascent while the Hydra base was turned to nothing but a pile of rubble.

"Hm," Sophie mused with a smile, "not quite the 4th of July but I'll take it." The rest of the journey home was then filled with Bucky telling them of the different ways he and Steve had tried to see fireworks displays to celebrate the latter's birthday. As they came into land, Clint promised that he would personally oversee a special display this year, with Bucky almost begging to help. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once back inside the tower, most of the team filed off to their separate rooms to clean up, leaving just Sophie, Tony, Steve and Bucky behind. 

As the four of them stood around looking at each other, it became obvious that no-one wanted to be the first to speak before Bucky eventually broke the silence, "Thanks again doll, for having my back." 

As Sophie nodded with a bright smile, Steve then spoke up "You did really good today Sophie. You'd make a valuable member of the team", casting a cautious glance at the other men as he finished. 

While Bucky just scowled at his lover, Tony groaned before replying, "Yeah, even I can't argue with that. And I really want to." He paused to roll his eyes in resignation before continuing, "fine, if Cap says you're in, then you're in. He's the boss. But you're going to need a name."

"I already have a name Tony, or have you forgotten it already?" Sophie laughed as she moved with him towards the elevator, leaving the super soldiers behind. 

Poking her side with a laugh of his own, Tony couldn't have hidden his grin even if he'd wanted to, "Electra? No.. Sparky! Sophie Sparks? Tricity? Get it?"

As Tony continued to provide ridiculous suggestions while the elevator made it's way to his floor, Sophie just shook her head in amused disapproval before she stepped out and turned back to him. 

"Tony?" 

"Yeah?" he hummed, still muttering his way through possible names.

Sophie pressed herself close to him and moved to whisper in his ear, "Shut up with stupid names and let's have a shower." 

Swallowing hard, Tony's eyes were blown wide as he looked at her before he cleared his throat, "you mean... shower? Together? Us? Me and You? Now?"

Walking away from him backwards, Sophie nodded with a sly grin, "Yep" before adding teasingly, "you know, I was told that Tony Stark was smooth with women..."

Stalking towards her, Tony swung Sophie up into his arms and marched towards the bathroom, growling "I'll show you smooth Ms Peters. Just you wait" as he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is probably the end for this fic, if I think of anything I'll add to it but I think it's a good place to finish.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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